This blog post was published under the 2015 to 2024 Conservative government

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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

24th February 2017 Tokyo, Japan

英国の食文化はGREAT

「英国料理といえば、フィッシュ&チップスぐらいしか思い浮かばないですねぇ。」これは、2月22日(水)、私が公邸で主催したFood is GREATの夕食会の前に、フジテレビのレポーターと歓談している時の彼のひとことです。私は「それは昔話ですよ。」と応えました。なぜなら、最近の英国の食文化、即ち英国料理は、世界的に高く評価されるようになったからです。英国の有名なシェフたちによる数々のテレビ番組やレシピ本が大人気です。

今日、英国では、食材の品質、新鮮さ、安全性を重視します。欧州で第3位のオーガニック大国でもあります。食品産業が英国で最大の製造業であることは日本ではあまり知られていませんが、その対日輸出額は2014年の252億円から2015年は299億円へと、急激に伸びています。

日本の料理評論家やメディア、ブロガーや小売・飲食業の代表の方々が参加したこの夕食会では、私のシェフであるフレデリックと6人のシェフたちが創作した極めてクリエイティブなメニューが披露されました。彼らは、革新的な調理法や盛り付けにより、英国と日本の素材を融合させました。イベントを共催したウェッジウッドの質の高いお皿がコース毎に選ばれ、料理が提供されました。

この夜は大成功でした。参加された誰もが、「現代の英国の食文化は単にフィッシュ&チップスではない」と認識されたと、私は確信します。と申し上げましたが、個人的にはフィッシュ&チップも好きですよ。

1 comment on “英国の食文化はGREAT

  1. Sure, every time I visit UK these ten years, I find UK has been getting very exciting for gastronome, compared with early eighties when I stayed there for 6 months.
    I particularly like duck, lamb and beef in UK cuisine. They are getting more variety of cook these days.

    Also wide variety of restaurant for middle east, Asia or any other countries are becoming available, it’s my headache when choosing restaurant in London.

    Having local ale with cheese at outside table of countryside pub late afternoon is still my favorite but you’ll find it’s just a threshold for pleasure of UK food and drink.

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About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.